First lady Michelle Obama returned to Chicago on Tuesday for a pair
of campaign fundraisers, squeezing in an appearance with Gov. Pat Quinn
as he signed a measure that will make it easier for military spouses to
get professional licenses when they move to Illinois.
The new law
will allow regulators to issue temporary licenses for military family
members who are licensed in another state to practice everything from
nursing to plumbing. By doing so, they are able to search for jobs and
start working without delay as the state checks out their credentials — a
process that can take months.
The measure is aimed at making the
transition from state to state smoother for military families, an issue
Michelle Obama has made a priority in her effort to support military
families and highlight the role they play as their loved ones serve the
country.
"They're folks who are giving
their heart and soul to this country every single day. Every time our
country asks them to pick up their families and move across the country
at a moment's notice, they do it and they do it with pride," she said
during her remarks at the Illinois National Guard Armory in the South
Loop. "So we owe it to these individuals to get this licensing issue
right."
Earlier in the day, the first lady spoke at a "Women for
Obama" fundraiser at the Standard Club, where she was introduced by
"Glee" actress Jane Lynch, who's from Dolton. About 500 people attended,
with tickets starting at $250, according to a campaign official.
The first lady pointed to friends in the crowd, telling audience members to sit down when they rose to their feet.
"Don't act like you don't know me," she said. "It's wonderful to be home with so many familiar faces."
The
first lady offered a sales pitch on behalf of President Barack Obama,
who is being challenged by Republican Mitt Romney on Nov. 6. "Will we
allow everything we've fought for… to just slip away? Is that what we're
going to do?" she asked.
Donors shouted "no" in response.
The
second fundraiser skewed toward a younger crowd, with tickets starting
at $44 and reaching $2,500 for a group photo opportunity. About 375
people packed into a hip meeting space on the city's Near West Side,
where Michelle Obama spoke about the need for Congress to move quickly
to keep interest rates on student loans from rising, saying the
president "knows what it's like to be drowning in student debt."
Acknowledging
that the next few months will be hard-fought, she encouraged attendees
in the president's hometown to "pack a bag and spend some time in a
battleground state."
"There's only 130-something days left, but it is going to be long," she said. "And it is going to be hard."
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